Music Preview: Global sounds on a small-town stage at Chico World Music Festival

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Ricardo Lemvo and his group inspire the crowd at the 2005 Chico World Music Festival. The festival, mostly free, returns to the Chico State University campus Saturday and Sunday.(Alan Sheckter/The Buzz file photo)<p class=’dotPhoto’>All Chico E-R photos are available <a href=’http://chicoer.mycapture.com/’>here</a>.</p>

Chico State’s University Public Events is once again bringing the sounds and styles of international music to our small Northern California environs.

The Chico World Music Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday on the campus’ Kendall Hall lawn and will feature three stages of music and many local and international performers, artisans and vendors.

“We look for an eclectic mix of artists for both the free shows and the evening performances,” said Dan DeWayne, head of UPE and the festival promoter. “We try our best to look at each artist as being of equal importance to the overall festival. It is important to make sure that each artist is featured in the best way possible to showcase their talent.”

Headlining the Saturday night show, held in Laxson Auditorium, is the Taj Mahal trio.

“For the evening show I try to look at artists that represent a broad approach to their music, while remaining cognizant that we need to feature an artist that is likely to draw a large crowd to Laxson,” DeWayne said. “We are very fortunate to have Taj Mahal join us this year. I can’t think of anyone who has played a more eclectic brand of music over all the years, from African village sounds to bluegrass to rock and folk. I know Taj will wow us on Saturday night.”

During the daytime on Saturday there will be performances by Los Pinguos, Nigerian Brothers, Toshi Reagon, Son de Madera and Sweet Journey.

Choosing a favorite performer out of the weekend’s fantastic lineup is easier said than done, said DeWayne.

“This changes almost daily for me,” he said. “But I do think folks are going to enjoy the South American sounds of Los Pinguos and the wonderful Mary Jane Lamond. But ask me tomorrow and I will be thinking of another of the great artists.”

He continued, “And it is always great to see our wonderful local artists perform at the festival. This year highlights rockin’ bluegrass with Sid Lewis and CrazyGrass, Celtic tunes from Sweet Journey, swing jazz with Wings of Swing and the Sawmill Puppets. All these artists are a great reminder of the exceptional talent living in our community.”

The annual festival is a family-geared event. A plethora of children’s activities will complement the music. This year, young attendees will be able to enjoy free arts and crafts and entertainment hosted by Chico State’s Museum of Anthropology, including creating African masks, leather wristbands, cave art, rain-sticks as well as face painting, cave art and Hopi Kachina dancers.

The options don’t end with the children either. Attendees will also be treated to free art classes by Chico Art Center. Instruction and workshops will be offered on monoprints, quick paper books, watercolor painting and paper mosaics.

With so much going on and so many diverse musicians playing for free, it’s surprising that the campus isn’t overrun with thousands of attendees during the festival weekend. Instead, while the festival is typically well attended, there’s still plenty of room. It’s human nature, DeWayne said.

“When it’s free it’s harder to get people to come to it,” he said. “If you charge a little bit of money people will come. (The thinking is) a free thing can’t be that great.”

Putting together a festival like Chico World is far from effortless. But with community support and the assistance of volunteers, magic can happen.

Volunteers are a large part of making a festival run smoothly, said DeWayne.

Festivals like the Chico World Music Festival also take a lot of planning. DeWayne and his staff are already considering artists for next year’s festival.

“Dan Goodsell … acts as the festival manager,” DeWayne said, “and he and his crew do a stellar job of looking for ways to improve the event every year.”

As for this year, all of the hard work and planning has most definitely paid off. Artists, vendors and patrons are sure to find the 2006 Chico World Music Festival enjoyable, entertaining and more than memorable.

“We are always looking for a way to introduce our audience to wonderful artists they may not already be familiar with,” said DeWayne. “One of the great plusses to a festival like Chico World Music Festival is the possibility of discovery. Each of us may be introduced to an artist that moves you in a way you had not thought of.”

Chico Performances and University Public Events presents the Chico World Music Festival, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the Kendall Hall lawns at Chico State. Daytime events are free. In addition, the festival will feature the Taj Mahal trio at 7:30 p.m. at Laxson Auditorium. Tickets, $16-$28, are available at University Box Office, Terrace Pharmacy in Chico, House of Color in Paradise or by calling 898-6333. Add $2 at the door.